This monk, bearded, greying, tonsured, in profile, with thick, full eyebrows and a barely perceptible gaze, is dressed in the brown robe typical of the Franciscans, with its large hood.

Monk or nun is the name given to a person who, within a religious community, leads a life essentially oriented toward prayer, abstinence, and austerity. Monks usually live in an abbey or monastery.

The monk’s tonsure consists of shaving off a substantial portion of his hair, especially on top of the skull, keeping only the hair around the head. This custom, adopted by monks as early as the Middle Ages, indicated the renunciation of all seduction.

As for the artist, Charles-Édouard Armand-Dumaresq, he was born in 1826 in Paris. His father, Gabriel Armand, was a painter. In 1858, Charles-Édouard was authorized by decree to add his mother’s name, Dumaresq, to his surname.

Charles-Édouard was a watercolorist, drawer, and painter. At the start of his career, he preferred to depict religious themes. Then, after the International Exposition was held in Paris in 1867 and he exhibited one of his masterpieces there (Cambronne at Waterloo), the artist henceforth drew his inspiration from military subjects. He studied with Thomas Couture (1815-1879), a painter and professor of French art. The latter had also taught young artists who would go on to become real luminaries in the art world, including Édouard Manet (1832-1883).

Some of Armand-Dumaresq’s works can be found at the Palace of Versailles and the White House in Washington.

Charles-Édouard Armand-Dumaresq died in Paris in 1895.

Donation from a collector
Musée Pierre-Boucher Collection
1987 1060 P